Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs

by John Doerr

In business, I have found, there is rarely a single right answer. By loosening the reins and backing people to find their right answers, we help everybody win. High-functioning teams thrive on a creative tension between top-down and bottom-up goal setting, a mix of aligned and unaligned OKRs. In times of operational urgency, when simple doing takes precedence, organizations may choose to be more directive. But when the numbers are strong and a company has grown too cautious and buttoned-up, a lighter touch may be just right. When leaders are attuned to the fluctuating needs of both the business and their employees, the mix of top-down and bottom-up goals generally settles at around half-and-half. Which sounds about right to me.

Mix between aligned and non aligned OKRs